1872 Steiner Horse Drawn Chemical Engine

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1872 Steiner Horse Drawn Chemical Engine. This American rig uses a pair of chemical tanks. It is probably one of a kind, and is one of the earliest examples of what became a popular type of apparatus. Steiner patented the design in 1872. It has two unique features. First, it has an 80 gallon reservoir of fresh water to recharge the copper chemical tanks when they are emptied. Second, the engine has a pump and suction hose to refill the reservoir. Steiner advertised a complete line of apparatus, but no record of his company is found in the Albany, New York archives. This engine was delivered to the Cleveland, Ohio Fire Dept., which used it until 1888. It then disappeared from the record until its appearance in Arizona around 1950. Hall of Flame Founder, George F. Getz Jr. purchased it in 1982 and donated it to the museum and was restored by Don Hale.

Chemical extinguishers date from 1860's, and were probably invented in France. They were built as portable extinguishers of 2 1/2 gallons in capacity, to wagon mounted tanks of 30 to 50 gallons in size. The tanks were first filled with water, followed by several pounds of sodium bicarbonate, depending on the size of the tank. The water and soda were thoroughly mixed. A sealed bottle of sulfuric acid was then suspended into the tank. At a fire the bottle was either broken or uncorked to allow the acid to mix with the water and soda. A chemical reaction produced a considerable volume of carbon dioxide gas, which was used to expel the water from the tank onto a fire. Firemen thought that the carbon dioxide gas helped to extinguish the fire, but it actually served only as a propellant for the water. Chemical engines could be recharged with water, soda and acid, but it took a fair amount of time, and was a disadvantage at fires. They were used as first response rigs, getting 40 to 160 gallons of water on a fire without the need to find a hydrant or other water source, until a steamer or manual pumper would be connected to a hydrant and could supply more water.

This engine, which has a separate water reservoir as well as extra bags of soda and bottles of acid, could be discharged in a few minutes. The drawback was that he rig was heavy and unwieldy, as well as quite a bit more expensive than a "one shot" chemical engine. No other chemical engines copied Steiner's design.

Soda-acid extinguishers were quite effective on wood or paper fires. Until recently they were commonly used in public buildings. They are now largely replaced by dry chemical extinguishers that are effective on petroleum and electric fires as well as wood and paper fires.

This chemical Engine is on display at the Hall of Flames Museum in Phoenix.

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